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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342859">Language of Flowers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDowner/pseuds/PhoenixDowner'>PhoenixDowner</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Aerith Week 2021 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aerith Week, Aerith Week 2021, Flowers, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Language of Flowers, Missing Scene</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:54:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,207</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDowner/pseuds/PhoenixDowner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Aerith teaches the kids at the Leaf House about plants, the flowers have some wisdom of their own to share.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aerith Gainsborough &amp; Ms. Folia, Aerith Gainsborough &amp; The Leaf House Kids</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Aerith Week 2021 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Language of Flowers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class=""><p>There was something special about flowers. The way they transformed the lifeblood of the planet into something vibrant and living and beautiful before returning to the earth, repeating the cycle anew the following year. Life, death, rebirth, a reminder that the planet could and would heal itself if only it had the chance.</p></div><div class=""><p>Aerith was proud of the flowers that had made their home in the Sector 5 slums, and she did everything to encourage them to keep growing. Maybe it was silly to think they could hear her, but she talked to them all the same, and in a way, she felt like they were saying something back.</p></div><div class=""><p>Perhaps she could share some of their wisdom today.</p></div><div class=""><p>“Now, Miss Aerith is going to review various types of flowers with you,” Ms. Folia said. Her yellow glasses were perched on her nose, and she silently counted the Leaf House children to make sure they were all still accounted for. They had a habit of wandering off sometimes, especially here in Aerith’s garden. There weren’t many options for safe field trips, so Aerith was happy to let them explore a little, so long as they didn’t step on the flowers.</p></div><div class=""><p>“Okay, everyone ready?” she asked. The kids held up their baskets, and she smiled. “Perfect. You’re going to help me pick flowers to make a big decoration for the Leaf House.”</p></div></div><div class="">
  <p>The kids cheered, and Aerith smiled and led them to the first patch of flowers. “Anyone remember what these are?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>One of the kids raised his hand, a boy with dark sunglasses. “Yes, Kurtz?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Lilies, right?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Aerith nodded. “Good memory! These are yellow lilies. Can anyone tell me what they mean?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A couple of kids raised their hands, and she chose a young girl with dark hair in a half-ponytail. “Yes, Lilian?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Reunion?” the girl shyly said.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Spot-on! Now everyone get your baskets ready, we’re going to pick one each. It’s important we don’t take more than we need so that there will be plenty of flowers left for next time.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Aerith walked around, making sure the kids remembered how to pick the flowers without hurting the plants. She was proud of how far they’d come, and this group had serious green thumbs. She’d have to talk to Ms. Folia about helping them start a class garden with transplanted flowers.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Now, let’s pick these flowers next.” She pointed to a clump of plants with green thistle-like blooms. “These are…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Foxtails!” the kids shouted in unison.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s right! And we shouldn’t ever feed them to…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Dogs!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Uh-huh. Nice memory. Some plants hurt animals, and some hurt people. But certain plants can actually help you, like this rosemary and chamomile over here. Same with the lamb’s ear, roseroot, wormwood, witch hazel, St. John’s Wort, and mint.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Aerith explained what the plants could do. She had a special plot in her garden dedicated to growing medicinal plants for the nearby clinic, and she knew the location of various other herbs growing naturally throughout the slums. She wanted the kids to know they could come to her for the plants they needed anytime.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>As they moved to the patch of white pansies, she noticed one kid was hanging around the edges and not really talking to the other kids. This must be Peter. He was a recent arrival to the Leaf House, and Ms. Folia had told her that he was having trouble adjusting.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Aerith sighed deeply. Memories of her own lonely childhood flooded her mind. She’d lost her father when she was just a baby, and Mother had been experimented on all day, leaving her alone in her room at the facility for hours on end. Then Mother had died shortly after entrusting her to Mom, and for the longest time the other kids at school thought Aerith was odd. They weren’t mean, they just avoided her after she revealed she knew things “normal” people shouldn’t.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Well, she wasn’t about to let this boy feel excluded and alone. She knelt next to him as he searched for the ideal white pansy to pluck.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re Peter, right?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He nodded but didn’t look at her.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Did you know these flowers mean loyalty? If you give one to someone, it’s like a promise you’ll be loyal to them forever.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Peter grunted.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You really aren’t much of a talker, are you? That’s okay. Luckily for you, I talk entirely too much.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>That got him to crack a grin, and Aerith smiled back. She helped him pick out a particularly nice pansy for the wall decoration, and as they stood, she decided to say something.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Listen, if you ever need to get away from it all, you’re welcome to come here, okay? I lost my parents when I was a kid, so I get it.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Thanks.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re welcome. The flowers always listen, even when people don’t.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With that, the kids had gathered the flowers they needed for their wall decoration. Aerith had one more idea in mind, however. She beckoned to Peter and whispered in his ear, “Ms. Folia loves flowers. Pass this message along for me, will you? Everyone should pick one flower to give to Ms. Folia.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He nodded, and she smiled as he tapped one of the other kids on the shoulder. Soon the message was spreading like a game of telephone, and before long, all the kids had a flower ready.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What’s all this about?” Ms. Folia asked, putting on a mock stern voice. “Everyone has their hands behind their backs like they’re hiding something.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Lots of giggles followed, and Aerith said, “3, 2, 1… Surprise!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The kids all revealed their flowers, and Ms. Folia’s eyes lit up. “For me?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Before long, she was sitting on the grass, surrounded by smiling, giggling children who were weaving their flowers into her hair to make a pretty crown. She was laughing along with them, and when she met Aerith’s eyes, she mouthed, “Thank you.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Aerith smiled and nodded. When Ms. Folia was dutifully crowned and coiffed, she said, “Now, what do we say to Miss Aerith?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you!” the kids said in unison.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“And what do we have for her?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Kurtz stepped forward and pulled a picture from behind his back. It was a big painting of all the kids with huge smiles on their faces together with Aerith, and they were all surrounded by the flower garden. Each flower had been carefully labeled, and Aerith smiled.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you so much, this is beautiful. This is gonna hang up by my kitchen window.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>With that, it was time for the kids to go home. Her childhood might’ve been lonely, but her life was anything but these days.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you, dears,” she said to the flowers as she passed by on her way back to the house. “It’s because of you I’m not alone anymore. It’s because of you the next stage of my journey’s about to begin.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She plucked a few yellow lilies in preparation for tonight. She was planning on going topside, and she had to be ready to sell her wares.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Today was the day everything was going to change, she just knew it. Perhaps the flowers had spoken to her after all.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
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